Commodity Import Approval Process

To obtain access to U.S. markets for a fruit, vegetable, plant, or plant product that is not already an approved commodity, you must initiate a commodity import request. There are 4 steps in the process:

APHIS will conduct a pest risk analysis and an environmental review to determine potential pests likely to remain on the commodity upon importation and potential mitigations that may be required to avoid, reduce, or eliminate the risk of pest introduction.

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USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) analyzes the risk of agricultural commodities to determine how they must be inspected, treated, or certified to be imported safely into the United States. If you have a question about importing a commodity or requesting approval for the importation of a new commodity, please call our Customer Service Support office at 301.851.2046 or 877.770.5990.